News of: Sunday, 7th of June, 2009

Front Page

The government will introduce 'National Service' programme at upazila level in the next fiscal year to train the HSC-passed unemployed youths and recruit them for a two-year term, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.

Officials involved in the ongoing government drive for demolishing illegal structures in the Turag river, yesterday expressed an urgent need for excavators to remove the debris, for recovering the river's encroached upon channel.

English in Schools (EIS), a joint initiative by The Daily Star and AKTEL, will help the students learn English and prepare themselves for global challenges, educationists and policymakers said yesterday.

The government is going to allow whitening money by paying 10 percent tax if invested in some specific sectors including infrastructure, while honest taxpayers now pay 10 to 25 percent tax on their income.

Criminals yesterday stabbed to death a driver of a pharmaceutical company in front of his office at Eskaton after chasing him down for more than one kilometre while a fleeing mugger killed an engineering workshop employee in the capital's East Jurain.

The dispute surrounding the governing of Proshika, one of the largest NGOs of the country, took another turn yesterday after Qazi Faruque Ahmed, who was removed from the chairmanship of the organisation by its governing body last month, formed a new governing body yesterday.

Editorial

RECENT incidents of Nasaka, the Myanmar border security force, opening fire on Bangladeshi fishermen in what are clearly Bangladesh's territorial waters leave us gravely concerned about the situation. As reports indicate, quoting a number of our fishermen in such areas as St. Martin's island, the Myanmar men left at least eleven Bangladeshi fishermen injured, with one of them in critical condition owing to bullet wound in the head. We condemn such unacceptable and morally untenable action on the part of the Myanmar authorities. It is not just high-handedness or a demonstration of an aggressive posture on the part of Nasaka but in effect a wanton act of piracy.

IT is an appalling instance of how a body established by law and designated to provide vital input for legal and judicial reform has been deliberately sidelined for the most part since its inception in 1996. The fact that only four of the 200 laws and amendments recommended by the commission had been adopted by the previous AL government and none by the subsequent BNP government, bears testimony to the history of neglect suffered by it. The BNP government's pathological indifference to the body is etched on its framing 184 laws without any recourse to the commission.

THE nation has been observing with growing concern that the parliament and the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), the two august bodies of the country, have entangled themselves in a row, erroneously interpreting their jurisdictions, which is indecent indeed.

THERE are, in the annals of history, certain defining moments in the evolution of nations. In Bangladesh's case, such a moment came on February 5, 1966, when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, general secretary of the East Pakistan Awami League, revealed in Lahore a broad-ranging formula for regional autonomy. That formula was of course the Six Point Plan, which in time would lead to a wider movement and eventually an armed struggle for East Pakistan's emergence as the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh. The plan put Mujib and a large section of Bengali Awami Leaguers on a confrontational course with the All-Pakistan Awami League led by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan. It also drew the fury of President Mohammad Ayub Khan, who openly threatened to use what he called the language of weapons against the proponents of the Six Points. The plan, as Ayub and his regime saw it, was aimed at causing Pakistan's break-up and the exit of its eastern province from the rest of the country.

Sports

Shahriar Nafees who was most vocal against the cricket establishment in the country officially expressed his desire on Saturday to return to the mainstream along with six other players by scrapping their ties with the unapproved Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The 2nd version of the much talked-about Port City League (PCL) Twenty20 Cricket-Chittagong is likely to be held at Dubai in 2010 for maintaining its continuity after successful completion of the inaugural meet.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Friday pictures of topless women and a naked man sunbathing at his villa were "innocent," but his lawyer vowed to sue a Spanish newspaper that published them.

On the surface, a rain-reduced 'Seven7' match would appear as meaningful as Britney Spears' lyrics, but New Zealand may come to view their seven-wicket victory over Scotland as something far more significant in the weeks to come.

The use of organic fertiliser cannot be made all exclusive suddenly, rather the government should first ensure a balance between organic and chemical fertilisers to help increase farm production, said the agriculture minister yesterday.

The government is expected to earn Tk 2,000 crore in revenue this year from voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) operations as Tk 1,500 crore has already been earned in the last nine months since the operators were licensed in August 2008.

The government is reportedly going to unveil a PPP (public-private partnership) project for which a sum of Tk 3,500 crore is being earmarked in the 2009-2010 fiscal year budget. From Bangladesh's economic development perspective this is no doubt a new concept aimed at involving participation of the private sector in the capital-intensive infrastructure development projects. The idea, among others, is purported to make best use of the undeclared income of local entrepreneurs and business houses for which necessary provisions are also expected in the budget allowing use of such funds in the sectors to be earmarked. This is a wise move by the government to bring in undeclared money for utilisation in the national development programmes.

May 30th-June 4th, 2009International Markets The international markets experienced another rollercoaster ride this week. The dollar weakened significantly at the start of the week on increased investor optimism as well as speculation that many central banks may move away from the dollar as a reserve currency.

Former caretaker government adviser Akbar Ali Khan yesterday stressed the need for amending the constitution to include a provision for referendum to ensure direct democracy and take people's opinion on different important national issues.

Thousands of people around the globe will join the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and its major corporate partners, TNT, Unilever and DSM in a walk today to raise awareness and money to feed hungry school children in some of the poorest countries in the world.

The government has initiated steps to stop river encroachment but we must develop awareness so that no more encroachment occurs, said Abdul Mamin Talukder, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee for Forest and Environment.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday said utilising the potentials of hydro-electricity in Nepal and Bhutan and sharing electricity among Saarc member states can ensure a long-term energy security in the region.

Family members of Md Jinnah Ali, one of the two students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute killed allegedly in a shootout with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), yesterday demanded a fair investigation into the incident and punishment to the persons responsible for his death.

The launching ceremony of the reference book 'Liver-A complete book on Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases' edited by Dr Mamun-Al-Mahtab and Prof Selimur Rahman of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University was held at Sheraton Hotel in the city yesterday, says a press release.

An agreement to establish an educational exchange programme was signed between the government of Bangladesh and American Institute of Bangladesh Study (AIBS) at a simple ceremony at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC on Friday.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) organised a vessel rally on the river Karnaphuli yesterday in observance of Maritime Safety Week-2009 that aims at ensuring safe journey on riverine and sea routes and creating awareness among the owners and crews of coasters, launches, fishing trawlers, lighter and other vessels.

A report headlined 'Manju freed on bail', published in The Daily Star on page 2 on June 4, mistakenly mentioned that he was convicted of possessing drugs illegally. In fact, he was convicted of possessing alcohol, not drugs. We regret the error.

About Tk 16 lakh government allowances for the poor disabled and elderly people in Kishoreganj upazila were returned allegedly due to lack of coordination between the Social Welfare Department and Union Parishad (UP) chairmen of the upazila.

People of Mithipur yesterday gave the officer-in-charge of Pirganj Police Station a two-day ultimatum to arrest the killers of two children. Earlier, Pirganj police recovered the bodies of the two children from a pond at Madarganj of Mithipur union under Pirganj upazila on Thursday. Kabir, 11, son of Shafijan Miah and Subash, 10, son of Gonesh of the adjoining village Hasanpur were allegedly killed when they went to steal mango from the tree of a local influential person.

Indian BSF yesterday handed over bodies of two Bangladeshi nationals, who went missing on Wednesday, to the BDR. Shafiqul Islam, 25, and Rubel Ahmed, 20, hailing from village Lakma under Tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj district, crossed border while collecting abandoned coal, sources said, adding they failed to return as they fell into a ditch there. The BSF recovered the bodies and handed those over to BDR yesterday. The BDR then handed the bodies to their families through police.

BDR on Friday night pushed five Bengali speaking indian nationals back into their territory through a border point in the district. Subeder Omar Faruk, Company Comander of Mujibnagar BDR BOP said Indian BSF at Hridaypur outpost under Nadia district had pushed them into Bangladesh territory at dawn on Thursday. All the five Indian nationals who were arrested by Indian police from Azmeer Sharif area were earlier jailed for one month.

BDR jawans of 17 Rifles Battalion at Cox's Bazar Sadar Thursday night pushed back 48 Rohingyas to Myanmar through Ukhia border. BDR sources said, the Rohingyas crossed the Naf River and intruded into Teknaf from Myanmar in the morning on the day. Then they took a passenger bus to reach Cox's Bazar. They were held at Thaiongkhali and Palongkhali on Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway. The Rohingyas included 21 children and 15 women.

An elderly man was beaten to death at village Shreemodee in Homna upazila yesterday. A gang of hired goons attacked Abdul Malek,60, in the morning. They beat him severely leaving him dead on the spot. A murder case was lodged with Homna Police Station accusing Malek`s nephew Mojibur Rahman and his wife Shakila Begum. All the members of Mojibur family went into hiding after the incident. Police suspected the murder was a sequel to feud over a land.

A fresh charge sheet in the Tarak Das murder case, pressing charges against five people, was submitted yesterday to the additional chief judicial magistrate's court. The accused are Mozammel Haque Sheikh, Tojammel Haque Sheikh, Masud Sheikh, Khasrul Sheikh and Mahmudul Sheikh, all sons of Moksed Ali Sheikh of village Dohar in Tala upazila. On September 21 last year, the court rejected the charge sheet submitted by the then IO after the complainant filed a petition for fresh charge sheet. Tarak Chandra Das, 75, of village Dohar in Tala upazila, a retired village police was slaughtered on December 20 night in 2007 at the verandah of his house. He had a land dispute with Moksed Ali Sheikh of the same village.

Internet and trunk links with three hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari remained cut off with capital city and other parts of the country since May 3. Journalists and businessmen are facing acute problems as they cannot make urgent calls and send e-mails. Contacted, Swapan Barua, assistant engineer of Bandarban Telecom Division said the situation followed a glitch at Chittagong Microwave Station. "Work is on to resolve the problem but it might take some time," Barua said.

Every year, more than 4 millions lives are saved worldwide, thanks to voluntary blood donation by people. In our country as well, there are many generous people who donate blood regularly. Despite that, many of us do not actually know the importance of donating blood and some even fear that blood donation might be harmful for health. In fact every physically fit 18+ adult can donate blood at least twice a year. At the time of donation, only 350ml of blood is taken. An average person has 5-6 litres of blood in the body. In terms of volume the loss is corrected in 24-48 hours by the body. The red cell count is corrected in about 56 days. So the health of the donor will not suffer because of the blood donation. A few days ago, my friend's sister died because of non-availability of blood. Her blood group was AB- but we were unable to collect enough blood for her despite our sincere efforts. Moreover, the blood which we got from the blood bank was date expired in most cases. I think the government needs to monitor these unauthorised and authorised blood banks because they do not help people when it is needed most. There is a disease called thalassemia and in some cases this disorder is treated with blood transfusion.

The Maldives, an archipelago, faces the bleak prospect of gradual inundation. As the world's climate is getting warmer the sea levels are on the rise. Since most of the islets of this cluster of islands are about 3 feet above the ocean, an increase of the sea level will inundate those areas. As a result the inhabitants of this archipelago may be forced to leave their ancestral land and take refuge in other countries. It is estimated that the sea level will rise two feet this century.

Theoretically, we all want democratic general elections. But the reality is different (in Dhaka). The incoming, elected regime is attracted towards some sectors; and neglect many sectors which need BMR of BMRE. This pattern is not changing. The motivation is not public service.

The AL government has passed over 100 days in power with some successes and failures. Though 100 days is not enough to evaluate any government's success or failure, it is considered very crucial, as good beginning is half the battle. With a view to bringing about a positive trend in the governance, PM Sheikh Hasina formed a new government with the leaders having a clean image. However, some of them have failed to hold up their image. But the thing that pinches the common people of our country most is the godfather issue. During the last rule of the AL govt, the people experienced large-scale extortion, snatching and robbery, which finally accelerated the defeat of the AL in 2001 election. This time also the AL cadres have appeared before the countrymen. The people have already started feeling the presence of the men like Hazari and Shamim Osman as they have already attracted media coverage through their activities. Besides, all sorts of notorious activities of the local cadres, patronised by the influential leaders of the AL, are getting momentum day by day. As a result, the people are getting panicked.

The office of the Registrar of Joint Stock is an important place. But here people have to remain standing in a queue for submitting their papers and documents for hours together. If a person has to deposit money, he has to go to a certain branch of a bank which is located in another building. But sometimes the counter official disappears, although there is always a big queue of people before the counter.

There are many meanings attached to this phrase by various people trying to further there own motives and ideas. As a disinterested person, I feel that this phrase has only one core meaning and that is to provide cheap, reliable and the fastest available (according to international standards) wireless broadband service throughout the land along with the assurance of 24 hours non-failing supply of electricity. If these two simple steps are guaranteed, many businesses and well-to-do people will relocate from the crowded city areas and move to the countryside enriching the land as a whole. The government can also then carry out de-centralisation of most of its work.

We express our grave concern over the killing of two students of polytechnic in a so-called “Rab encounter”. As reported, they were picked up by Rab personnel from their college hostel and held incommunicado somewhere. It has made headline once again, and a wave of fresh criticism of the latest killing in “crossfire” is coming from all sections of society.

With the democratic process starting from the 1990's, have we really achieved what we dreamt of? Probably those involved in politics have. The general people's lifestyle has not changed, apart from the rich and the upper middle class people who have learned to spend money on luxury. The common people, especially the ones living in the rural areas and the poor living in the cities, can hardly say they are better off now.

Most of the Middle Eastern countries are authoritarian societies where the rights of their own citizens are not adequately protected. The absence of democracy in those countries leaves their citizens vulnerable to abuse by the authorities.

It seems the massive awareness creating campaign launched jointly by The Daily Star and the Channel i to save the rivers around Dhaka and adjoining areas has started yielding a positive result. The government agencies have started drives to clean the rivers and riverbanks.

I am a resident of Niketon area and my residence is near the Gulshan-Niketon-Banani Lake. The lake gradually became polluted because of the negligence of the authorities concerned. During the dry season, it has become almost impossible to live here, as the odour coming from the lake water is unbearable. Not only the residents of these areas but also the users of the walkways are affected by it. One of the main causes of the pollution is sewers from the houses dumped into the lake. In addition, a lot of hanging latrines have been built around the banks of the lake, especially near the newly built Gulshan-Banani Bridge.

Indians protesting government moves to develop oil, gas and other resources on their lands battled police in Peru's Amazon on Friday, with authorities and Indian leaders separately reporting 11 police and 25 protesters deaths.

US First Lady Michelle Obama took her two daughters up the Eiffel Tower for a birds-eye view of Paris at sunset Friday after flying in to France to join President Barack Obama, who arrived from Germany.

The UN chief lent credence Friday to the possibility of war crimes in Sri Lanka, saying an international investigation is needed to examine the military actions of the government and defeated Tamil Tiger rebels during the civil war.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand has accused the Election Commission of India of trying to help the United Progressive Alliance by holding the election of two Rajya Sabha seats separately in the state.

Air France Flight 447 sent out 24 automated error messages-- including one saying the aircraft's autopilot had disengaged--before it vanished with 228 people on board, aviation investigators said yesterday.

In a fence-mending move, Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has finally met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, the man who had bitterly opposed his reinstatement to the post he had been sacked from two years ago.

Arts & Entertainment

'Esraj,' sibling of 'dilruba' (literally meaning "robber of the heart") and 'sarangi' (evocative of a "hundred colours"), is an instrument that possesses the ability to pull at the strings of the coldest of hearts. In the hands of a seasoned musician, Esraj can be like an effusive lover -- providing moments of tranquillity and conjuring a storm of emotions. There has to be a reason why Tagore is believed to have been an ardent admirer of this instrument (it is often the accompanying instrument of choice for Rabindra Sangeet singing). Esraj requires the most serious of connoisseurs; only absolute silence will do. Justifiably, the audience at Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts on June 4 evening were getting annoyed at the otherwise tolerable camera shutter sounds.

Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha (BRSSS), an organisation of Tagore singers, arranged a musical programme at the auditorium of National Music and Dance Centre, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on June 5. The programme marked the 110th birth anniversary of our National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. BRSSS also celebrated its 21st anniversary (May 27) through the programme. The soiree featured solo renditions of Nazrul Sangeet, recitation of Nazrul's poetry and reminiscence by members of the organisation.

UNICEF, in association with European Cultural Foundation and the One Minutes Foundation, held a five-day workshop (from May 31 to June 4) on filmmaking for youngsters. The project aimed at enabling the youths (aged 12-20) to narrate their stories in sixty-second videos. The premier of the videos produced at the workshop was held at Goethe Institut-Bangladesh on June 4.

Popular Indian singer and host of the widely watched talent hunt "Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa," Aditya Narayan and Arab artiste Asma Mohammed Rafi enthralled hundreds of music lovers in Chittagong with their melodious numbers last Thursday.

OP-ED

DEAR Brother Hussein, I am certain about two things. I am a Muslim, and I live in this world. Now the uncertainties begin. On June 4 you gave what was heavily advertised as a major speech to the "Muslim world." Does that mean that while every Christian believes in the divinity of Jesus, he can be legitimately and widely varied in his political interests, but Muslims must have both Allah and politics in common?

PROVIDING farmers with due prices for what they produce has never been an easy thing to do though it may often sound so. There are so many market players with their diverse and, often, conflicting interests that offering the farmers best prices, which they deserve, for all their toils become even more challenging.

IN Bangladesh, the negative effects of the global financial crisis are not yet that severe. In the financial year 2007-08, Bangladesh's export earning came to $14.1 billion. With the GDP in current prices amounting to $79 billion in that year, the export/GDP ratio was estimated at about 17.8 per cent.